Here’s their account of what happened, in brief:They set off from Hawaii in May of this year, bound for Tahiti. They were caught in a storm that both ruined their engine and rendered their mast and sails useless. They were unable to contact help. They drifted for five months, living off of dry food and a handheld watermaker (takes the salt out of seawater so you can drink it) until they were rescued by a fishing boat and, eventually, the Navy.

GoFundMe page started by them to battle the media who lied. $15 of their $50,000 goal raised"It was amazing to see people with zero ocean experience talk about whether or not I should have used the EPIRB. Do they know the use of an EPIRB without a sinking boat will most likely get you a fine, jail time and the guaranteed loss of the vessel? People I know have been put in jail, been fined and lost their boat for EPIRB calls that were not deemed true emergencies. Floating boats with food, water and limited navigational capacity are not maritime emergencies."